KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION TOWARDS HOME INJURY IN CHILDREN AND SAFETY MEASURES AMONG MALAYSIAN URBAN MOTHERS

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Background: Child safety at home is the major concern of parents worldwide. Earlier studies showed knowledge and perception of parents in the area of injury influenced their safety behaviour at home but such information on Malaysian parents is limited. This study aimed to explore mothers’ knowledge and perception towards home injury in children and safety measures.

Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was done among mothers of children aged 1 to 4 years old who attended urban government health clinics. A sample of 500 mothers completed a validated, self-administered questionnaire on knowledge and perception towards home injury in children and safety measures.

Result: Mothers had moderate knowledge and perception score towards home injury in children and safety measures. However, they were found to have low knowledge on few specific knowledge items. Being older mothers, married, having tertiary level of education, working and having higher household income status were associated with higher knowledge score while no significant association found between mothers’ characteristics and their perception score. Child characteristics were also not siginificantly associated with both mothers’ knowledge and perception score.

Conclusion: Due to the variations of knowledge and perception among mothers, home safety education programme could be effective to improve knowledge and perception of mothers towards preventing child injury at home.

Keywords: child safety, home injury, knowledge, perception, safety measures